Machine for welding reinforcements for concrete.



W. S. SOUTHWICK.

MAGHINB FOR WELDING REINFOROEMBNTS FOR CONCRETE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T.26, 1911.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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w. s. SOUTHWIGK. MACHINE FOR WELDING REINIORGEMENTS FOR OONORETE.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 26, 1911.

1,093,297. Patented'Apr. 14, 1914 11 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

I wazazsswwwm, 7 Ef IM mg W. S. SOUTHWIGK. y MACHINE ECR WELDING REINFCRCEMENTS PCR CONCRETE. APPLICATION FILED 00T. 26, 1911.

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y W. S. SOUTHWICK. lMACHINE FOR WELDING. REINFOBCEMENTS POR CONCRETE.

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Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

APPLICATION FILED 00T. 26, 1911. 1,093,297.

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W. S. SOUTHWICK. MACHINE PoE WELDING EEINEORGEMENTS EOE CONCRETE.

APPLICATION FILED OUT. 2G, 1911.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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w. s.`soUTHW10K. MACHINE FOB WELDING REINPORGEMENTS POR CONCRETE. APPLIOATIQN FILED 00T. 26, 1911.

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W. S. SOUTHWICK.

MACHINE FOR WELDING BEINFORGEMENTS POR CONCRETE.

I APPLICATION FILED 00T. 26, 1911. 1 093,297, Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

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WILLIAM s. sOUTHWICx, OF CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS, ASSIGNOE To CLINTON WIRE CLOTH. COMPANY, OF CLINTON, MASSACHUSETTS, A CORPORATION OF MASSA- CHUSETTS.

NACHI-NE FO WELDING REINOBCEMENTS FOR CONCRETE.

Patented Apr. 14, 1914.

Application led October 26, 1911. Serial No. 656,984.

rangement of tension rods and means for holding them in posltion while the concrete is being molded about them.

The reinforcing structure produced by the 'mechanism of the present invention comprises tension rods and stay rods or wires of relatively small cross-section arranged transverselv with relation to the tension rods and united therewith by va welding process. The tension rods become substantially fixed one with relation to another as the result of the connecting sta)y wires thus welded. so that the tension rods cannot become displaced with relation to each other during the operation of placing tlie concrete about them or tamping the concrete in a compact mass. In

the construction of a. composite concrete cam, the appropriate location of the'tension rods is near the u per surface of the beam at the ends thereo and near the lower surface of the beam throughout a considerable distance midway between the ends. Tension rodsl are not required near the bot- `tom surface of the-beam at the ends or near the upper surface of the beam midway'between the endsnbecause thetension upon the beam when sustaining a load does not exist aat these points but only at the points where the tension rods are located as set forth by the preceding statement. The stay .wires should be relatively close one to another at.

the ends of the beam. but for economical construction the spacebetween them should be gradually increased upon approaching the middle portion.

The machine illustrated by the accom- 'panying drawings comprises a plurality of welding units adapted to weld the stay the electrodes which perform the- Welding wires to the tension rods by means of an electric current. v The machine also includes automatic means for feeding the tension rods step byy step and for placing the stay Wires against the tension rods in position to be grasped by operation. One feeding mechanism for the tension rods is adapted to impart a'differential feeding movement, to the end that the stay wires will be attached at varying intervals instead ofbeing attached at equal intervals. F or example, the tension rods aregiven a series of relatively short steps while the welding mechanismV is Operating to attach the stay Wires near one end of the beam, after which the feeding mechanism -imparts steps of greater lengthand thereafter imparts steps of less length so as tospace the sta-y rods in the manner explained. In other words, the feeding mechanism is adapted to impart first feeding steps of increasing length and then stepsof decreasing length. The invention includes means for grinding the surfaces of the tension rods at the polnts Where the electrodes lare to be closed upon them. The grinding operation is made necessary by the presence of a scale upon the tension rods, which scale is the result of the process oi manufacturing the rods.` If the tension rods were covered by such scale at the points where they are engaged by the Welding electrodes, a satisfactory electrical Contact with the electrodes would be prevented. This would not only impede the passage of the welding current, but would result in sparking and destruction of the electrodes in a relatively short time. But when the scale is removed from the tension rods at the points Where the Welding electrodes equal to the length of one unit, with this result: While a stay wire is 1M Abeing Welded to the tension rods Ot one 45 wire-placing mech unit, the Ygrinding devices are operating upon the tension rods of the succeeding unit at the same relative point along the length of the unit as that where the stay wire is o being welded to the preceding unit. The

feedlng mechanism is extended for a distance as great as or greater than the length of the unit, so that a series of units may be fed in end to end relation, with thetension 1o rods of one unit abutting against those of the next, This form of feeding mechanism, the simultaneous operations of the welding mechanism and grinding mechanism, and the location Iof the grinding mechanism with relation to the welding mechanism, are the three controlling factors which makeY it possible to grind the tension rods at unequal intervals and to'weld the stay wires thereto at the points ground. l There are some classes of work of this character in which uniform spacing of the stay wires is desirable. An example of such work is structure for reinforcing flooring. In producing flooring structure uniform feed mechanism may be substituted for the differential feed mechanism, and the grinding devices may be placed relatively close to the welding mechanism. For example, if the stay wires are to be attached at intervals of three feet, the grinding devices may7 be placed at a distance of three feet in advance of the welding mechanism, or at any other point which would be a multiple of such distance. An arrangement of this kind is shown by the accompan ing drawings which illustrate uniform fee mechanism.

The present invention comprises also a magazine for holdinga number of stay Wires, automatic means for feeding the stay Wires one by oneto the lower end of the magazine, and means for transferring the stay Wires fromthe magazine to the electrodes in position to be welded to the tension rods. The welding mechanism and the stayism is substantially the same as that illust ated and described' v1n U. S. Letters Patent No. 830,018, granted H. L. Smith, Septemberi; 1906. One difference whichA ma -be noted' is that the. machine shown in t at atent is arranged to operate upon strand wires fed vertically, the welding electrodes having a horizontal movement for gripping the strand wires and stay wires, whereas according to the present invent-ion the tension vrods which are' analogous to strand wires are fed horizontally and the welding electrodes have vertical movement for gripping the stay wires and' vtension rods. The staywireplacing mechanism of 'Q0 the vpresent' invention is correspondingly shifted so as to remain in the same osition With`r`elaton to the welding mechanism and f the direction of feed.

Of the accompanying drawings which 55 illustrate the present invention: Figure 1 represents a left-side elevation of a welding machine provided with feeding mechanism adapted to impart feeding steps of equalV length. Fig. 2 represents a top plan View of a portion of the feeding mechanism shown by Fig. 1. Fig. 3 represents a right-side elevation of grinding mechanism. Fig. 4C represents, on a larger scale, a similar elevation of a portion of the grinding mechanism. Fig. 5 lrepresents a rear elevation of the 75 mechanism shown by Fig. 4. Fig. 6 represents a' vertical section of the weldin mechanism, stay-Wire magazine, stay-wlrc-feed mechanism, and stay-wire-placing mechanism. This mechanism is viewed in the same 30 direction as Fig. 1. Fig. 7 represents a rear elevation of a portion of the stay-wire magazine. Fig. 8 represents a section through the stay-wire feed mechanism on a plane indicated in Fig. 6 by line'8-8. Fig. 9 rep- 85 resents an -elevation of one of the stay-wireplacing devices. Fig. 10 represents a tops 'plan view of the longitudinal rods and transverse stay members welded together. Fig. 1l represents an end elevation of the article 90 shown by Fig. 10. Fig. 12 represents a side elevation of a weldin machine similar to Fig.V 1 but having di erential feed mechanism whereby the feeding steps vare automatically varied. Fig. 13 represents a side 95 elevation of feeding mechanism and grinding mechanism, the feeding mechanism be- Aing an extension of that shown at the right of Fig. 12. If Fig. 13V be placed at the right of Fig. 12, the relation of the two portions of the mechanism willbe illustrated. Fig. 14 represents a top plan' view of the feed mechanism shown by Fig. 12. Fig. 14 represents ratchet and pawl mechanism on a plane indicated by line a-a of Fig. 14. Fig. 15 represents'a top plan view of the mechanism shown by Fig. 13. 16 representsa side elevation of welding mechanism and feed mechanism adapted to impart feeding steps of unequal length. The mech# anisms shown by this figure differ from the corresponding mechanisms of Fig. 12 in that the mutilated gearing is omitted and t-he feed mechanism is otherwise driven so as to operate without interruption. Fig. 17 rep- 115l resents a section of the mechanism indicated Aby line 17-17 of Fig. 16. Fig. 18 re resents an elevation of two pairs of wel ing jaws in the act of gripping longitudinal rods anda transverse sta member. Fig. 19 rep- 13 resents a top plan v1ew of a reinforcing unit differing from that shown by Fig. 10. Fig.

20 represents a top p1an..view of a'reinforcing unit having longitudinal rods of unequal length and transverse stay members un-y1u equally spaced. Fig. 21 represents a top plan view of manually operative feeding mechanism for a unit such as that shown .by Fig. 20. Fig. 22 shows, on a larger scale, a. portion of the structure included in Fig..21. l"

represents a vertical cross sect-ion as indicated by line 2i --23 in Fig. 22. Fig. 24 represents a top plan view'otl a. reinforcing unit in which the stay members are equally spaced. Fig. Q5 represents` a top plan view side elevation of another member included in Fig. 26.

The same reference characters indicate the same parts wherever they occur.

Referring first to the product of the machine as shown by I t`igs. 10 and 1i). the longitudinal tension rods are indicated at a', and the stay wires therefor are indicated at.. y. 'lhe rodsl .r are square in cross section and are arranged and held in such position -as to present their angles oredges for engagement. with the stay wires y. The cross section of tlte stay wires is shown to be round, but metallic members of any desired cross section may be used to connect the'rods a. is concerned, the size of the rods m is immaterial. because while the angle of their cross section remains square and while they are arral'iged and held in position as shown the cross-sectional area which becolnes welded to the transverse members does not vary with variation insize only of the rods fr.

.By way of differentiating between the operations 4as performed b v the machine hereinafter described and the operations ofthe machine set fort-h in the aforesaid Patent No. 830,018, it should be remembered that `in the present .instance the longitudinal members .fr are straight, and too ystiff to perlnit winding upon a drum. whereas the longitudinal members as shown in said patent are relatively thin and tlexibley and are intended to be fed into the machine from coils aud'to be wound upon a drum after being welded. Forthis reason the several mechanisms hereinafter described are arranged so as to operate upon the longitudinal members arranged horizontally. since a horizon- Ytal arrangement is the most convenient arrangement 4in handling work of this character.

The desired number of longitudinal. rods a; are .arranged side by side in a horizontal plane at the desired distance-one from another, and in this relation they are fed in unison step by step between the side frame members 20 of the Welding mechanism.'

The electimdes of the Welding mechanism are illustrated in Fig. 6 and are :indicated at 21 and 252. It is impossible to illustrate more than one pair of electrodes and one So far as the welding operation complete welding unit in a view such as Fig. but it w-ill be understood that the welding mechanism is provided with a number of welding units suclras that shown by this ligure, the welding units being arranged in a series and appropriately spaced. 'l`he construction of the welding mechanism and the mode of operation are substantially the same as set forth in said Letters Patent No. 830,018.

.t brief description of the mechanism shown b v Fig. G will be sufiicient to make the operation of the present machine understood. The electrode. Q1 which in this instance the lower electrode,'is atlixed to an electric conductor 23 mounted upon 'but in-I sulated from a plunger Q4'. The upper electrode 22 is mounted upon a conductor Q5 which is likewise mounted upon but insulated froima plunger. indicated at 26. The conductors Q?) and are connected by flexible conductors 27 with bus bars QS) whose ends are connected to transformers 2S. The current for the transformers is controlled b v automatic switch fmechanism, (Not shown.) i vided wit-h a roll 30 which coperates with a cam 3l on a driven shaft The cam moves the electrode QI and permits opposite movement. of the electrode at the time tor feeding the. rods a'. Suitable bearings for the plunger 2t and for the other -plungers of the series arc afforded by a horizontal girt 33 which-connects the two side frame members 20. The upper plunger QG and similar plungers in the series are mounted in bearings afforded byA a transverse horizontal beam or girt 34. The upper ends of the plungers QG are surrounded by compression springs which exert theictension downwardly upon the shoulders of the plungers, as shown by Fig; 6. The plungers are provided with stop nuts or collars 36 which strike against the girt 341m limitrelative movement of the plungers. The girt '34 is moved toward and from the work by eccentrics such Aas that indicated at 3T on the shaft 32. The ends of the girt St are arranged to slide insuitable bearings in the side frame members Q0 and are, connected with the eccentrics 37 by eccentric rods Suitable mechanism is provided for placing the` stay members g/ in position upon the longitudinal rods :v at. the point where the welding jaws are brought together, A magazine'is provided for containing a number of stay members, and feeding mechanism 1s Adjustably attached to a transverse horizon tal girt '39 are two inclined guides 4.0 in

which the ends of the stay members are arrangel. ,The distance between the guides 40 may `e varied to meet the requirements of stay members of one length or another. The

stay members gravitate in the guides andare K released one by one by a pair of reciprocatory members -such as that indicated at 41. The members 41 are mounted upon pivot studs 42 and are provided with stop members 43 which are moved to and from the path of the stay members inthe guides so as' lips 45 is such as to permit the-stay members to descend from one to the other when the oscillatory members 41 are moved in one di rection and ton release the lowerstay member and intercept the nextvsucceeding stay member when the osclllatory members are moved in the opposite direction. Eacli'stay member 25 as it is released'gravitates to the lower end of the guides 40, Where itis held by yielding gates 46, one on each guide. The gates are arranged upon pivots 47 and are normally elosed-by springs 48. (See Fig. 7.) Each stay-member vupon arriving at the lower' end of the guides 40 is grasped-by a pair of transferring devices such as that shown by Fig. 9. Each transferring device comprises ingfinger 51.. The finger 51 is pivotally connected to the finger at 52 and is normally 'closed by a spring 53. The finger 50 so thatV it may be positioned according to the length'uf the stay: members. The outer end of the finger 50 is notched as shown, for the purpose of receiving the stay member. The rock shaft 54 is oscillated and is moved laterall)r in such manner as t cause the stay member in the notch of the finger 50 to travcrise a path such as that indicated by the brokenline in Fig. .9. For this purpose the rock shaft 54 is mounted in bea-rings in two oscillatory arms :55. from which it receives its lateral motion. vOscillatory motion is imparted to the rock shaft by .an'arm 56 connecting rod 57, bell-crank lever 58, cam rod 59, and cams 60 on the shaft 71. The arms are pivoted at 61 and are operated by rodsGQ andcams 63 on the shaft 71. (See- Fig. 6.) The oscillatory feeding devices 41 are connected to the rock shaft 54 so as to be operated as the result of thev lateralvmovement of the shaft. For this purpose the feeding devices 41 are -formed with fingers 64 which straddle the rock shaft as shown by Fig. 6. While the transferring fingers are movin from the welding jaws'toward the 65/ magazine, the feeding'devices 41 are operis affixed upon a rock shaft 5'4 but may. bev adjusted along the length of the rock shaft' l ends have slidin ated to permit a slight downward movement of the stay members in the magazine, and

while the transferring fingers are carryingV a stay member from the magazine to the welding jaws, the feeding devices 41 are operated to release the lowest stay member so that it may descend to the yielding gates 46 in position to be grasped by the transferring fingers on their return.

The longitudinal rods e: to which a staf,y

of varying length.

Referring to the mechanism shown by Fig. 1, there are two feeding levers such as that indicated at 65. These feed levers are located one at either side of the machine in transverse alinement with each other, and because of their arrangement one is concealed by the other. The feed levers are affixed upon a rock shaft 66 from which they depend. The lower end of one lever is operated by a connecting rod, as indicated at 67. The connecting rod is operated by a crank 68 which, according-to the mechanism illustrated in Fig. 1 receives intermittent motion. The crank 68 is affixed with relation to a mutilated gear 69 driven by a complemental mutilated gear `70. The gear 70 is affixed upon a driven shaft. 71, The formation of the gears 69 and 70 is vsuch that the crank isl given a complete revolution while the shaft -71l is turning through 180 degrees of a lrevolution. During the remaining 180 degrees of the shaft 71, the crank 68 remains stationary. The purpose of operating the feed levers intermittently is to give sufficient time for the welding mechanism to perform an efficient welding operation. -The feed levers 65 are connected by a transverse rod 72 upon which two or more pawls 73 lare pivoted. The pawls may 'be shifted laterally to the positions required by the width of the work. The free ends of the awls 73 are provided with shoulders 74 which are adapted to 'become hooked over a. welded stay member and -vthereby advance the work when the feed levers are moved in the direction of the arrow. The pawls are `so formed -as to ride over the stay members when returning preparatory tofa ofeeding movement. The pawls are connected by a transverse bar 75 whose bearing upon horizontal guides 76. By t is means the free ends of the pawls areyheld in the plane of the stay members except when they are lifted in passing over one of the stay members. The approaching rods a: to which no stay member has been welded are, of course, not fed by the pawls 73. A ortion of the feed mechanism for these ro( sis shown at thevright of Fig. 1. A series of transverse shafts are arranged in advance of the welding mechanism and are provided with feed rolls upon which rest the approaching rods a'. ()ne of such shafts is indicated in'Figs. 1 and 2 at 77.

LAny required number of shafts 77 may be '-provided, depending upon the length of the rods ai. 'lhe shaft nearest the welding mechanism is rotated intermittently by one of the feed levers 65, and the remaining shafts 77 are driven by suitable driving connections such as sprockets and chains so that they will all operate in unison. The series of feed shafts and driving. connections therefor are substantially the same asthose illustrated in Figs. `12 and 13. The feed rolls 7 8 are grooved as shown by Fig. .2, for the purpose of positioning the.rods so that the edges or angles of the rods will be in position to be engaged by the stay members y. The feed rolls are.all keyed or otherwise affixed to their respective shafts, 77, but they may be moved on their 'shafts transversely of the direction of feed to appropriate positions. The driving connection between the feed lever 65 and the nearest shaft 77 comprises a connecting rod 79, a gear 80 loosely mounted A upon theshaft, rack teeth 81 on the. connecting'rod and engaging the gear 80, a ratchet wheel 82 aliixed to the shaftaand a spring actuated pawl 83 mounted upon thegear so as to engage the ratchet Wheel. The hearings for the shaft 77 are supported by suitable frames 84 which are preferably detached from the frames 2O so that the shaft may be placed at any desired distance from the welding jaws, depending upon thespacing of the ltransversexstay members. Pressure rolls 85 are provided for engaging the upper edges of the rods to keep them seated in their `feed rolls'7 8. A- sprocket wheel 86 is aflixed upontlie shaft 77 and drives a chain 87 extending to a similar sprocket on the next shaft 77. Throughout the series of shafts 77 similar driving connection is made by other sprockets 86 and chains 87.

AS1 previously stated, the feed mechanism shown by Fig. 1 is adapted to impart feeding steps of equal length. The feed mechanism shown hy Figs. 1Q to 15 is adapted to impart feeding steps of unequal length. The welding mechanism shown by Fig. 12 is the same vas `that hereinbefore described. The

l feed mechanism in Fig. 12' is driven, as in the form shown by'Fig. 1, through the medium 'of mutilated gears 69 and 70. The crank 68 afliXed to the gear 69 operates a lever 88 through 'the medium of a connecting rod 67. The feed pawls 73 are not operated directly-by the lever 88 but are carried by a pair of depending levers 64, as shown by `Fig. 14,' which receive their motion through y 86 and chains 87.

a lever 89. The lever 89 has laterally extendin parallel flanges 90 in close relation to con renting flanges 91 on the lever 88. The fulcrum for the lever 88 is indicated at 92. The connection between the levers 88 and 89 is a cylindric member 93 at the u per end of a link 94. The lever 88 has a de ite length of movement, but the length of movement imparted to the lever 89 depends upon the position of the connecting member 93 with relation to the fulcra of the two levers. The link 94 is lifted step by step and then dropped step by stepl so as to shift the con-4 necting member 93 and thereby increase or decrease the extent of movement transmitted to the lever 89. The mechanism for thus varying the movement of the feed. mechanism. comprises a lever 95 to which the link 94 is connected, and a cam 96 driven has for its fulcrum the stud upon which the mutilated gear 69 is mounted.V The cam is so formed as to lift the lever 95 step by step and then permit thelever to descend step by `step as the result of gravityand a spring 95X. Any suitable combination of gearing may be provided for driving the cam 96 at `the necessaryspeed. They train of gearing illustrated receives its motion from the shaft 71 through a pinion 97, gear 98, pinion 99, and gear 100. This train of gearing reduces the speed of the cam shaft so that the cam shaft will have but one revolution for ten revolutions of the shaft 7l. This ratio of gearing is correct for conditions which require ten stay members for each set of rods but the ratio of gearing will, of course, have to be varied according to the number of stay members required. Through the connections for oscillating the arms 64k the feed pawls 73 are operated so as to impart a differential feeding movement to the rods :a which arepassing through the Welding mechanism. The approaching rods which have not reached the welding mechanism receive their motion from feed rolls such as by suitable gearing. The lever 95 as shown 85 those previously indicated at 78 and driven f by a connecting rod 79 having teeth 81 for oscillating, a gear 80 loosely mounted uponl the nearest shaft 77 The other shafts 77 are driven, as described, by sprocket Wheels The feeding mechanism. shown by Figs. 12 and 141 includes` vgearing for increasing the feeding movement to a reater extent than would be possible throng the medium of the levers 88 and 8f). This multiplying gearing is inactive for the most part but is rendered operative at the desired time by suitable controlling means -such as a cam. The conditions which require a feeding step ofv unusual `length will be understood by jreferring to Fig. 19, which illustrates a r`ey inforcing unit for a concrete beam. For econoinys sake, transverse stay members l 35 with the ratchet.

should be omitted for a considerable distance midway between the ends of the beam. For this reason the rods a: should receive an unusuall long feeding movement in order to omit t e said members near the middle portion of the beam. The mechanism for effecting this feeding movement of unusual length comprises back gearing including a small gear 101, large gear 102, and small 10 gear 103. Gears 101 and 102 are affixed to a oountershaft and are arranged thereon so that gear 101 engages gear 80 and gear 102.

engages gear 103. Gear 103 is loose on the shaft 77 It is apparent from the foregoing that gear 103 will be rotated first in one direction and then in the opposite direction at relatively high speed by the action of the connecting rod 79. Aixed to the gear 103 is an arm 104 which carries a pawl 105. A ratchet wheel 106 is aflixed upon the shaft 77 in position to be engaged by the pawl 105, and a spring 107 is attached to the arm so as to normally move the pawl into engagement with the ratchet. The pawl is for the greater part of the time positively held out of engagement with the ratchet by a circular disk 108 loosely mounted upon the shaft 77. One edge of the 'disk is beveled, as shown by Fig. 14, so that it may displace a nger 109 projecting from the pawl 105. When the finger rests upon the periphery of the circular disk, it is driven first in one direction and then in the opposite direction without effecting any result, since it is held out of engagement The disk 108 is moved along the shaft 77 by a shipping lever 110 connected by a link 111 with a lever 112. The lever 112 is provided with a stud or cam roll which occupies the groove of a cam 113. 40l Tbiscam is affured upon the shaft which carries the cam 96 and is therefore driven so as to receive one revolution while the feeding A mechanism is feeding a set of rods a distance equal to the length of the rods. The 4 '5 -groove 1n the cam 113 is so formed as to y eep the pawl 105 out of engagement with its ratchet at' all times exceptin at one brief s period in each revolution. This period occurs after one half of the stay members have @been welded to theLrods At this time the '1 4disk 108 is retracted out of engagement with the finger 109, whereupon the pawl is drawn linto engagement with the ratchet 106. At time the connecting rod 79 begins to move in the direction of feed and its movement, multiplied. by the back gearing, is

.transmitted tothe ratchet 106, thus drivin the4 shaft 77 at a .much higher rate of speed than the speed of vthe gear-80. The pawl 83 I Bafonth gear 80 is ineffective. at' this time be- Lits ratchet 82, being fast to the shaft f7.7,fis driven at the fasterspeed, while the `pawl .moves at the slower speed. In this way all thefeed Awheels 78 on the shaft.77 are a5 driven at lfast. sneed, thus advancing lthe Figs. 3,4, 5, 13 and 15. There is one grind- 'rods a; with relation to the feed pawls 73.

The movement of the feed pawls is therefore thrown away. The feed rolls 78 on all the other shafts 77 are simultaneously driven at the faster speed because the shafts are all connected so as to be driven in unison. At the completion of the long feeding movement, the disk 108 is restored tothe position shown, thus throwing the back gearing out of connection and leaving the first shaft 77 75 to be driven as before by the pawl 83 and ratchet 82 instead of by the pawl 105 and ratchet 106.

The feed mechanism shown by Fig. 16 is another combination of differential feed mechanism and feed multiplying mechanism. The multiplying mechanism of Fig. 16 is not at any time thrown out of action nor is the differential feed mechanism thrown out of action. The feed pawls 73 in this 85 form of mechanism are reciprocated by sliding rack bars 114 instead of levers such as those shown by Figs. 1 and 12. The rack bars are provided with teeth which engage large, gears 115 affixed toa shaft 116. A 90 small gear 117 aixed to the shaft is operated b a rack bar 118, one end of which is pivota ly connected to a' lever 119. The fulcrum of the lever 119 is indicated at 120. This lever receives its motion from a lever 121 whose fulcrum is indicated at 122. The relation of the levers 119 and 121 is substantially the same as the relation of the levers 88 and 89 shown in Fig. 12. The lever 119 is provided with laterally extending flanges 123, and lever 121 is provided with similar flanges 124. Driving connection between t'hc levers is afforded by a cvlindric member 125 at the upper end of the link 126. The lower end of the link is connected to a cam lever 127 pivoted at.128. The lever is provided with a roll which rests upon a cam 129 which is formed to lift the lever step by step and thereafter ermit the lever to descend step by step. The lever 121 is operated bya cons necting rod 130which extends to a crank 131 on shaft 71. The crank in this instance is driven continuously instead of intermittently, and one half of each revolution of the machine is used for welding and the remaining part of the stroke for feeding strand rods. The work is conducted away from the machine by rolls 78x.

The grinding mechanism is shown by ing'wheel in line with eachpair of welding jaws. The rinding Ywheels are indicated at 132, and their form is shown best by Fig. 5. Their peripheries are grooved at right an gles and 'they are arranged so as to engage the two under faces of the rods w, since those are the faces which are engaged by the welding jaws. The u lper faces of the rods a: are notengaged y the welding jaws, as

illustrated by Fig. 18. The grinding wheels 1go a shaft 183.'l The shaft is mounted in bearings in a pair of arms 134 loosel)7 mounted upon a transverse rod 135.A The shaft 133 sprovided with a pulley 13G adapted to be driven'by a belt 137.A 'Each grinding wheel is therefore driven by its ownbelt 13T. The belts may all' be driven by a drum 13S. shown hy Fig. 13. 'l`hcvrod 135 extending transvei'sely 'of the direction in which the rods ai'e fed is mounted at its end in arms 'i5-t) and is keyed to said arms so that it cany not rotate. Between each pair of arms lil-t vis al bracket 14() splined to the rod 135. llach bracket 1s provided with an adjustable stop 141 and with a spring 142 arranged'lo exert its tension Lagainstthe arms 134, to lift the grinding wheel. The aims 134, as shown bv Figs. 4 and 5, are united by integral webs 143, one, of which is adapted to abut against theV stop 141 to limit the vupward movement of the grindiugiwheel. -The arms lili) are atlixed to a rock shaft 144 mounted in suitable bearings in the frame men'ibers, S4. One of the arms 189 is provided with an operating arm 145 by which connection is ma'de with .a rod 146. The rod is operated The arc in which the grinding wheels move causes the wheels to engage the rods before the wheels reach theirl median position. The

wheels thereafter move lalong the rods for a short distance, during which the arms-134 are retracted.from'the` stops 141- and soon after engafred by the stopsto retract the grinding nilieels fromv the rods. The crank 14T is drivenat such Speed-as to cause one rocking movementofthe shaft 144 for each feeding movement of the rods. f The desired A tension vis exerted uponthe` belts 137 by idle rolls 148 carried at'the-free ends of the arms 149'. The arms are`looselymounted upon the rock 'shaft 144, each arm being arranged between a pair cfm-rms 134 as shown by Fig. The arms 149 are subject to the .y tension of springs such as'that indicated at 1 50. These springs are A,coiled about the hubs of the arms149 and are anchored to collars ,151 pinned or otherwise atiixed to the rock shaft. The idle rolls 14S are thus adapted to yield to the slackening ortightening ofl the belts BT, whether thc lateral movement of the grinding wlue'ls is a moyement about the rod 1235 or zr movement about. the shaft .I4-1t.

The location oflthe grinding mechanism with relation to the welding mechanism will `depend upon the spacing of the transverse stay members. For example, the stay'inenibers are attached at equal intervals by th'e. mechanism shown in Fig. 1. .-\ssl uuing for the purpose of illustration that the. feeding steps in'iparted by this mechanism are one foot in length, the grinding mechanism may be located at a distanceof one foot or any number of feet fromthe welding jaws. vlu practice the distance will probably be three or four feet in order to keep the grinding mechanism apart from ther welding mechanism. As shown by Figs. 13 and 15., the grinding wheels are at a refati-*ely great dis tance from the welding jaws. r1`h'e feed mechanism shown by Figs. 12 and l?) is de# signed especially for reinforcingunits in which the. transverse staylueudnrs are unequally spaced. ln operatii'ig upon work of this character the grinding wheels must be located at a distance equal to the length of a reinforcing unit or a multiple thereof so that while the welding jaws are attaching a stay member to one reinforcing unit the grinding wheels may be, ,operatingA upon tho rods of another unit at a point corresponding to the point vfhere the stay wire is being attached.

F 21 22 and 23 relate to manually operativefeeding means adapted tobe used for producinga reinforcingunit having stay members unequally spaced, as shown by Fig.

20. In Fig. 21 the lineof Weld is 'repre-w sented by the broken line 152, and the direcf tion of feed is indicatedby anarrow. rllhe longitudinal rods are fed step by step by Aa push bar 158 adapted to abut against the rear ends of the rods. The push bar is provided With a supporting strip or flange 154 adapted to support the rear ends of the rods The ends of the pusher are pro"- vided with shoes` 155 which are adapted to `slide on guide rods or tracks 156. The rods m are supported slightly in advance of the.. line of Weld by\grooved rolls 157 and arel held on the,` tops of-said rolls by pressure rolls 15S. The lrolls 157l are ailixed to a lshaft 157 X whose endsare mounted'inbearguide rod is supported by similar standards 161. The stops 159 are adapted tocoperate with a retractory stop pin 162 carried by the pusher 153. The construction of the stop members is better illustrated by Figs. '22 and 23. Each stop member 159 is adapted to be clamped to the bar 160 and is provided with a clamping screw163 for the purpose. The stop pin 162 is mounted to slide longitudinally in a bracket 16tatiixed to the pusher 153. A spring 165 contained in the bracket acts upon the stop pin in such a way as to normally project the outer end of the pin into a position wherein it is adapted to en' gage the stop members 159. The bar 160 is provided with a series of marks such as that indicated at 166, which marks may serve as an index for positioning the several stop members 159.

To use the feeding means above described, the stop members 159 are rst clamped at the desired positions coinciding with 'the desired spacing of the successive stay members of a reinforcing unit. The desired number of longitudinal rods are Athen introduced between the grooved rolls 157 and pressure rolls 158, said rolls being adjustable laterally on their respective' shafts to any desired positions. If rods m of more than one length are to be incorporated into the same unit, the rear ends of the longer rods are placed upon the supporting bar 154 lof the pusher. The shorter rods m. may be introduced between their rolls 157 and 158 when the longer rods have been fed forward the required distance. The longitudinal movement of the longer rods m drives the rolls 157 upon which the rods are braced, thus driving also the gravity rolls which 'receive the shorter rods In this way the shorter rods receive feeding movement from the longer rods. After the rst stay member y has been welded and while the welding mechanism continues in operation, an attendant standing behind the pusher 153 may grasp the stop pin 162 and retract it against the tension of the spring 165, and at the same time step forward to advance the pusher. He will'release the stop pin 162 so that it may engage the next stop member 159 and thus arrest theforward movement of the pusher at a predetermined point. By

. withdrawing the stop pin 162 after the finish of each feeding movement, and by advancing the pusher and permitting the stop pin to engage the stop members`159 in order, the whole number of rods .fr will be advanced in unison through steps of predetermined length so that the stay members may be attached at the points desired.

It is obvious that the stop members 159 i may be equally spaced and that the manually operative pusher may be used for feeding the longitudinal rods to produce a reinforcing unit inI which the stay members are equally spaced as shown by Fig. 24. I have, however, provided other devices for determining the length of the feeding steps, to be used in lieu of the stop members 159 when the feeding steps are of equal length. The substitute stops for this purpose are shown by Figs. 25, 26 and 27. These stops are intended to be placed at the rear of the line of weld and to coperate with each newly attached stay member y. The stops are mount ed upon a transverse rod 167 whose ends may be affixed in brackets such as that indicated at 178. These brackets are adapted to be atlixed to the frame of the welding mechanism. The sto'p members are arranged in series upon the rod, one of such members being illustrated alone by Fig. 27 and indicated at 168. .These stop members are adapted to oscillate about the rod and are free to be moved laterally upon the `rod so that they may be located at any desired lateral positions. The inclined face is provided tov facilitate the `forward movement of the stay member y, and the shoulder 170 pre# sents an abutment against which the stay member may be drawn by movement opposite to feeding movement. The stop members are held with. yielding tension in the position shown by Fig. 26. For this purpose the rod 167 is provided with positioning members 171, one of said members beingv provided for each stop member. The rod 167 is formed with a keyway 172 (see Fig.l 26) and each member 171 is provided with a key 173 and with a screw 174 for pressing the key tightly against the rod to clamp the member 171 against lateral movement. Each member 171 is provided with an abutn ment 175 for engagement with the stop member 168, and is further provided with ja finger 176 for supporting a spring 177 by which the stop member is normally held upwardly against the abutment 175. A

pusher similar to that illustrated in Fig. 2 1

passed beyond the shoulders 170` the stop members 'snap upwardly against their abutments 175. An attendant at the rear of the welding mechanism may then push the stay member in the opposite direction unt-il it abuts against the shoulders 170 as shown by Fig. 26.u It will be understood that the brackets 178 which support the rod 167 are adjustable toward and from the line of weld so that the shoulders 170 may be located at any desired distance from the line of weld to give the desired spacing between the stay members. The second stay member and each successive stay member thereafter is welded while the preceding stay member lies against the shoulders 170. This form of mechanism for positioning the unit with relation to the welding mechanism, and the stop mechanism shown by Figs. 21v to 23, is adapted to perform its function while the welding mechanism continues in operation.

I claim:

1. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising in combination, two feeding means arranged in tandem relation to act respectively upon the unfabricated portions of the strand members and 'upon the fabric, and welding means arranged to weldstay members to the strand members between said two feeding means.

2. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising in combination, two feeding means arranged in tandem relation to act respectively upon the strand members and upon the stay members of the fabric, and welding means arranged to' weld stay members to the strand members between said two feeding means.

3. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising means` for supporting a plurality of rods, means for placing metallic members across said rods in contact therewith, means for electrically welding said rods and cross members at their points of intersection, reciprocatory means for engaging the welded cross members to feed the work step by step, and driven means for varying the relation of the elements of said feeding means whereby the length of feeding steps is varied.

4. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising means for imparting step-bystep feeding movement to the work, and welding means arranged to weld the fabric members to each other, said feeding means having provisions for automatically varying the length of the feeding steps of the fabric.

5. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising electric welding mechanism, means for feeding rods thereto, means for placing metallic members across said rods in position to be welded, and means in advance of the welding mechanism for grinding said rods at the points which are to be engaged by said welding mechanism.

6. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising weldino means, feed rolls arranged to act on tie strand members, and means for driving said rolls step by step, said drivinl means having provisions for lautomatically varying the length of steps imparted to said rolls. U

7. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising means for feeding rods square in cross section, means for placing metallic stay members across said rods, and means for electrically welding members at their points of intersection, said feeding means being adapted tor position said rods so that. their edges or angles will be presented to said stay members.

8. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising reciprocatory feeding members arranged to act upon the welded stay meinbers to feed the fabric lengthwise, and means for operating said feeding members to impart reciprocatory feeding movement thereto, said means having provisions for automatically7 varying the length of feeding movement of said members.

9. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising electric welding mechanism, means for supporting straight rods, means for placing metallic members across said rods in position to be welded, and means in advance of the welding mechanism for grinding saidrods at the points which are to be engaged by said welding mechanism.

10. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising means for supporting rods, a magazine for metallic stay nieinbei's, means for separating said stay members one at a time from the others in the magazine, means for transferring the separated stay member to said rods so as to extend across the same, and welding mechanism for welding said rods and stay member at their point of inteisection.

11. A machine for making welded fabric, compi'ising means for supporting rods square in cross section, means for placing metallic stay members across said rods, and means for electrically welding said rods and stay members at their points of intersection, said supporting means being adapted to position said rods so that their edges or angles will be presented to said stay members.

1Q. A machine for making welded fabric,- comprising abrading means for cleaning the fabric members, welding means, and means for feeding the fabric members from said abrading means to said welding means. t

13. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising welding means adapted to grasp and weld a fabric member of square cross section and a fabric member extending across the same, and means for holding the square member so that one of its longitudiiial edges is foremost toward the other fabric member.

14. A machine for making welded fabric, comprising welding means adapted to grasp and weld a fabric member having a longitudinal edge and a fabric member arranged across the same, and means for holding the first-named fabric member so that said edge will be foremost toward said other fabric member. l

l5. A machine for making welded fabric,

said rods and stay ios 

